FROM KATHY AND SVEN

You may have noticed that time seems to be speeding up. Whether it just seems that way due to the increasing demands on our time, or whether it's an effect of the winding down of time (according the Mayan Calendar) or whether the earth is actually increasing the speed of its rotation (which apparently it is), there is no doubt that our world is changing.

When we first started publishing Point of Light in 1994, organic food was only in health food stores, energy work was virtually an unknown term in the medical world, and green was only a color. Today, nearly every grocery store has an organic section, and there's a new emphasis on buying local produce as people realize that it might be better for the environment to buy local fruit than to ship organic fruit here from South America. Today we see yoga in nearly every zip code as more and more people awaken to the marvelous effects that it has on the mind and emotions as well as the body. Today you can download hours of video of Oprah interviewing spiritual icon Eckhart Tolle on his latest book A New Earth, which perfectly describes this new flowering of consciousness. Truly, our time has come.

So you may think this issue in your hands is more evidence of time speeding up, as the last issue of Point of Light may still seem fresh. Rest assured that this anomaly has a physical cause. Point of Light is no longer a quarterly magazine but a bi-monthly one. With this issue, we begin a new publishing cycle of every other month, so you can enjoy Point of Light six times a year now instead of only four.

Point of Light has been through many changes in the past, from format to tone, as we changed with the times so that were always out in front of the information you want to hear. Our goal is to bring you the newest (and sometimes the oldest) wisdom from leaders in the holistic, natural and spiritual fields. We strive to be a true reflection of the leading edge of the dynamic and growing community in our area.

In that way, we have always been your magazine. It was you, our beloved enthusiastic readers, whose quarterly quest for the latest issue convinced local stores to advertise. You patronized those courageous advertisers -- the healing professionals, the unique retailers, the visionary workshop leaders. With the help of that patronage, businesses and healing professionals thrived. Some even had to pull their advertising, as they quickly had too many clients! How many magazines can boast of having those kinds of readers? So truly, you set the tone.

With this increased pace of publishing comes a subtle shift in tone as we more clearly define our roles in what must become a growing organization. Kathy is now taking on the mantle of Publisher, managing the business and financial decisions. This change reflects the reality that it has always been her steady hand on the financial tiller that has kept us afloat.

Sven is picking up the role of Managing Editor, managing the editorial and design decisions. His visionary and outside the box thinking has been setting the tone since our inception. Expect more of the raw, unflinching examination of the human condition from the deeply spiritual and holistic perspective -- not fluffy feel good stories, but what our good friend and author Gina Mazza Hillier calls "full frontal consciousness."

We're also pleased to welcome our first Sales Manager, Lani Redinger. She is deeply committed to championing our message of natural, organic, sustainable and spiritually oriented living. Some of you -- advertisers in particular -- may remember Lani as the former City Paper salesperson who attempted to create a wellness section for that publication.

And we've engaged a local design firm to improve the look and feel of Point of Light -- you may have noticed that the cover of our last issue (with the earth rising over the moon) had a bit more pop that usual. The current cover, and all the artwork in this issue, continues that new evolution.

That's what we’re doing, now here's what you can do. Give us your feedback. What topics would you like to see covered? Who are the intriguing personalities you’d like to hear interviewed? What books have you read that changed your life? Drop Sven an email at Sven@PointofLight.com with your story ideas and feedback.

Also, this community is growing faster than the three of us can keep track. What new stores have you found? Who has a new healing practice? Who should have our magazine in their waiting area? Drop Lani an email at Lani@PointofLight.com to let her know about anyone who should be advertising and/or have copies available for their customers or clients.

You have done these things for us in the past without us asking. Today we are asking, as this new pace and the new tone will be a group effort. People like us are in every business and organization, in every strata of society and in nearly every family in the world. We each have our role and our challenges to create this new Earth that we are creating together. With your help, Point of Light will continue its role as your best source of local information.